They've grown
by Shyion
Summary: She's becoming blind..


Another one shot ! ^^ Hope you like this one. Okay, basically I like XiangxTaiwan stories. (: I don't think I'm able to write a series just yet.. Thanks for reviews for my previous story! :D Xiang is HongKong, Wan is Taiwan and Japan is Kiku.

* * *

Wan sat in the dark corner as she watched Kiku prepare everything he need for the coming war. The room was dark and silent, except for the shuffling of Kiku's feet and the rain which beat against the windows.

"Kiku, will you be safe?" Wan asked, a sense of worry in her tone.

Kiku walked to the young girl around six years old, and bent down so that his eyes were level with hers. "I'm not sure Wan. But with the help of England, I most probably am. Just wait for me, I will be back." He said, and smiled.

Wan nodded. She always trusted what Kiku said.

"O-K. I'm ready. I'll be leaving first thing in the morning tomorrow, Wan. Have a nice rest, goodnight." He said, and ushered the young girl out of his dark room. It was in the middle of the night, and she wouldn't dare to walk around the big house alone. "Xiang, Xiang, are you around here?" Kiku asked. Xiang was always around Kiku's room, like how Wan was always in his room.

Kiku heard small footsteps approaching. After awhile, Xiang appeared in front of them, carrying his Panda. "Yes, Kiku?"

"Could you bring Wan back to her room? It's in the middle of the night." Kiku asked Xiang, who had already held Wan's hand.

Xiang nodded, and led Wan back to her room, slowly.

"Xiang, do you think Kiku will be safe?" Her soft voice broke the silence between her and Xiang.

Xiang nodded again. The small boy was always quiet, but he was a very good listener, too. Just then, thunder struck. Wan was frightened, and Xiang could feel her small palm grip his even tighter.

"Xiang, could I sleep in your room tonight?" She asked.

He nodded. He could sense that she was very scared, although they were the same age, Xiang was more daring than Wan.

Walking down the dark corridor, Xiang stopped in front of his room. He opened the red coloured door and stepped in, followed by Wan. He closed the door after Wan and went to his bed, arranging pillows and his gigantic panda toy almost two times his size. He gestured for Wan to go on to his bed.

"You sleep here, and I'll sleep there." He said, pointing to half of his bed, which was separated by a bolster. He pushed his gigantic panda toy, which he called PandaTwo, to Wan's half of the bed. "You can have him tonight to keep you company." Xiang said, and laid his head on his baby blue coloured pillow, hugging his other panda toy, which he called Panda.

Wan laid on another baby blue coloured pillow, and drifted off to sleep with PandaTwo beside her.

Xiang took his blanket and covered her with it as she coughed softly, and he smiled. Wan was a weak girl who often fell sick, and even a little wind might cause her to get a cold. Xiang knew that, of course, that he had to take care of this frail girl who he grew to love so much.

* * *

"Xiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!" Wan shouted excitedly as she stood up and ran towards Xiang, who just came back from school as he appeared through the door. She jumped on him and hugged him. "Why are you home so late?" It was already at night, around 9 p.m .

"Club activities. It's going to rain, remember to keep your jacket on." He said, as Wan bombarded him with questions about school. She was too weak to go to one.

"Were there any good-looking guys? What about good-looking girls? Xiang, are you popular among the girls? I bet you are, my Xiang's sooooooooo cute!" She excitedly chattered on and on, as she clung onto Xiang.

"Wan, are your eyes better today?" He asked. Wan contracted a disease when she was thirteen years old, which caused her to almost go blind. The doctor said she is slowly going blind, but she could still see, for now.

"Yup! My eyes are fine today, Xiang." She said, as she picked up Panda from the floor. "Panda, Panda, he's all gray-ish!" She said as she threw it back at Xiang. "Wash that thing already!"

"Panda is not a thing." Xiang said, as he squeezed Panda slightly.

"Fine." Wan said, as she seated herself beside Xiang, who was sipping on a cup of tea. "Xiang, what would you do if I were to go blind?"

Xiang turned and stared at Wan. "Nothing." He replied.

"Why're are you so mean!" She asked, somehow hurt by his reply.

"Just make sure you can see until Kiku comes back." _Because all that ever seemed to matter to you was Kiku, Wan._

She was silent, then she started, "It's been eight years, Xiang... He's still not back."

"He will be back soon, Wan." Xiang replied, putting down his cup of tea and returning to his room.

Rain fell on to the floor, dancing on the cold concrete. Xiang looked outside the window, hoping for no lightning or thunder, or else Wan would be scared. Just then, there was a loud clap of thunder. Around the same time, he heard a shriek outside his room. He rushed out and saw Wan outside, sucking on her second finger of her right hand.

"Wan, are you okay?" He asked.

"I accidentally poked my finger while sewing this." She said, and showed Xiang a small out-of-shaped Panda, which could fit into Xiang's palm.

Xiang smiled one of his rare smiles, "Silly." He said.

"I actually tried making this Panda for you and all you can do is call me silly! Xiang you meanie!" She said, and hit him on the head. _At least I made him smile._

"Thanks, then." He mumbled, inspecting Wan's poked finger.

"I'm sleeping in your room tonight, too." She smiled.

He gave her a look.

"Don't give me that face!" She hit him again. "Well, you know... I'm scared of thunder and lightning and stuff..." She was slightly blushing.

"But we're not young anymore." He rubbed his sore head.

"It's not as if you would actually do anything to me!" She paused. "Oh, Xiang, don't tell me you're going to take advantage of me!"

Xiang sighed, "There are more than a billion girls I would take advantage of, and you would never be in that list." That left him with another hit on the head.

Wan started coughing vigorously, her body shaking. Xiang pat her back gently until her coughing ceased.

"I-I'm okay." She whispered, and went into Xiang's room.

As usual, Xiang took a half his bed, and Wan took the other half where she had PandaTwo.

"Goodnight Xiang!" She smiled, laying her head on the soft pillow.

Xiang smiled as he saw her peaceful face as she slept. Covering her up with his blanket, he complained about her not putting on a blanket.

* * *

"Xiang, I want to go to the park today!" Wan exclaimed, holding on to his arm.

"Okay." He could never reject a request she made, because... He didn't know.

They left the house after having their lunch, and walked to the park. The park was filled with flowers with many different colours. Xiang picked a pink-coloured flower and placed it in Wan's hair.

"Thanks Xiang!" She hugged him. _My vision's starting to cloud..._

They walked past the pond, walked almost the whole of the park, and Wan was exhausted.

"Let's rest, Wan." Xiang suggested, and they sat down on a park bench.

"Xiang, could I ask you something?" Wan looked into his eyes. She didn't wait for an answer. "Xiang, answer me seriously this time. What would you do if I were to go blind?"

"Kiku isn't back yet, so you can't go blind."

"Kiku... He hasn't come back yet. It's been ten years.."

Xiang sighed. She has always talked about Kiku, Kiku, Kiku, and nothing else, besides school._Is this jealousy?_

"He'll be back soon, Wan." Xiang said. He lost count of how many times he's repeated this.

"Xiang, can you..." She trailed off. Xiang turned, and noticed that her hand was lying limp beside her.

"Wan?"

No response.

"Wan?"

There was still no response.

"Wan!" Xiang raised his voice, and hurriedly carried her off to the nearest hospital.

xxx

He noticed her eyes flicker, then it slowly opened.

"Wan? Are you feeling better now?" Xiang asked, sweeping her hair away from her face.

"Xiang, where is this place? Why is it... So dark?" Wan asked.

Xiang gasped, "You mean... You can't... see?"

Wan kept quiet for a moment.

"I've lost my sight completely now..." She mumbled, her voice cracking. "I won't be able to see any of your faces anymore..."

Xiang sat beside her on the hospital bed, squeezing Panda's hand, trying to control his emotions.

"Which means... Xiang... I can't see your face anymore?" Tears slid down the side of her cheeks.

"You will be able to, Wan..." He tried his best to hide the sadness in his voice, and placed Panda on her lap.

"No, it can't be... I-I want to see Xiang's face more! I want to smile Xiang... I want to hug Xiang when he comes back from school... I haven't seen the sunrise or sunset with you!" Xiang wiped her tears away.

"Wan... Don't cry... Y-you'll be able to!" Xiang comforted her.

"What if I won't be able to? I won't be able to see you anymore! What about Kiku? I can't see Kiku either! B-but... Most importantly, I can't see Xiang anymore!"

"Wan?" He looked up at her, and hugged her. "Wan, it's okay.."

"Xiang... My eyes might have already retreated into the dark, and I might not be able to see you again... But, you'll always be the light in my heart..." She pulled on his shirt.

"Wan, don't say things like this, you'll be able to see." Xiang kissed her forehead, and tears silently slid down his cheeks. _To see her in so much pain.._

Wan felt it, his teardrops on her arm. "Xiang, don't cry... Don't cry Xiang." She reached out her arms, looking for Xiang's face. When she found it, she wiped away his tears.

"I love you." Xiang said it, then Wan said it too. "I love you too, you meanie." She smiled.

Just then, the doctor walked in. Xiang rushed to him and asked about her condition.

"She fainted of exhaustion, that's all." The doctor was stern. "As for her eyes... She won't be permanently blind, and since I had been her doctor since she was young, I dare say that the condition of her eyes would actually improve, and she wouldn't go blind."

Xiang smiled, the biggest smile he ever smiled. "Thank you, doctor." He said, and ran over to Wan.

"Which means I can see your face again!" Wan said, squeezing Panda.

* * *

The door opened, and a man walked in. The house was empty, it seemed like nobody was home.

Suddenly, a red flash past him.

"Xiaaaaaaaaang! Get back here with Panda! I'm going to wash him today!" Wan ran past the man, hardly noticing him. Then she stopped abruptly.

"Kiku?" She asked, staring at the man's face. "Kiku!" She exclaimed, and hugged him. "You're finally back! What took you so long?"

"I.. don't know." Kiku said. "How are things here?"

"Xiang and I are-" Wan flushed.

"Dating?" Kiku completed the sentence.

"Somehow..." She twirled her hair abit.

"Congratulations, Wan!" Kiku said.

But the girl wasn't there anymore, she had already left looking for Xiang.

Kiku then heard a "It's going to get washed by me today~" And then a "Xiang! Stop grabbing that thing away from me!"

"How many times must I tell you Wan? Panda is not a thing!" Xiang retorted.

Kiku smiled. _How much they've grown._

_

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_ Hope you enjoyed this one! ^^


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